SITUATION
A resident of the United States passed away while traveling to Vietnam, during a stop in Korea. The only family were distant relatives in Vietnam; apart from the travel companions, there was no one close by.
THE FAMILY’S CIRCUMSTANCES
As the family were relatives who could not afford to come to Korea, communication was possible only by phone and messages. Fortunately, the deceased had travel insurance. The travel companions reported the death to the insurer, and also contacted us.
REQUEST
The family asked that the deceased be repatriated to Vietnam, so that the funeral could be held in the arms of the relatives.
WHAT WE DID
01 Obtained the death certificate from the hospital, then arranged English translation and notarization.
02 Coordinated with the U.S. Embassy in Korea and completed the consular verification.
03 Embalmed the deceased to international standards and placed the deceased with care in a casket meeting transport requirements.
04 Completed the airline cargo booking and customs procedures.
05 Confirmed that the deceased was received by the relatives on arrival at the destination airport.
CHALLENGES AND HOW WE RESOLVED THEM
Because the travel companions had already reported the death to the U.S. Embassy online, the consular verification came through earlier than expected. The insurer also submitted all the documents in one go, which allowed the reporting to be completed smoothly. The whole process took about 4 days.
CLOSING
Though it happened in the middle of a journey, we were able to bring the deceased safely to the relatives’ side. Helping the departed share a final farewell — even with distant relatives, far away — that is our work.
This case has been written without personally identifying information, to protect the privacy of the family.